Opposition parties represented at the recent Srinagar conclave will find it hard to shrug off the charges Mrs. Gandhi has hurled at them, at her press conference in New Delhi on Saturday. She overdrew the picture, as she tends to do in such matters, when she accused opposition parties of encouraging violence and terrorism and of taking up an attitude of confrontation “for the sake of confrontation”. Apart from the Akalis, no other party can seriously be said to be pursuing the politics of confrontation. The others are trying to work out an arrangement or arrangements among themselves whereby they can compete with the Congress (I) at the hustings if the prime minister decides, as she can and may, to order an early election to the Lok Sabha. This is legitimate in a democratic polity regardless of whether or not the present moves finally produce a more viable alternative to the ruling party than the Janata turned out to be. And apart from the Akalis, no other political organisation is encouraging violence and terrorism. Indeed, among the Akalis too there are moderate elements who must be appalled at the activities of the extremists even if they are unable to summon the necessary courage to denounce the latter, not to speak of calling off the agitation which is without doubt creating an atmosphere in which the cult of the knife and the bomb has come to prosper.
But Mrs. Gandhi is wholly justified in drawing attention to the unpleasant fact that those who assembled at Srinagar did not think it necessary to grapple with the problems arising out of the activities of Akali murder squads. It was, of course, a sheer coincidence that attacks on a running train and a bus should have taken place and Punjab brought under President’s rule and declared a disturbed area when the Srinagar conclave was on. But this coincidence should have persuaded the assembled leaders to face up to the consequences of the actions of the Akalis who incidentally were represented at Srinagar. They not only chose to ignore these ugly consequences but also to maintain the pretence that Mrs. Gandhi was deliberately refusing to negotiate an agreement with the Akalis. This could have been treated as nothing worse than an evasion of honest truth and responsibility if acts of terrorism had not multiplied within days of the Srinagar get-together. But they have. We have no means of knowing whether or not external powers are active in Punjab. But how can one dismiss this possibility and the grim implications of this dreadful possibility? Surely, those who entertain the ambition of managing the country’s affairs one day owe it to themselves to do what they can to persuade the Akalis to see reason even at this late stage. Meanwhile, there can be little doubt that Mrs. Gandhi has adopted the only course open to her which is consistent with the larger national interest, indeed with the interests of the Sikh community itself. There can be and must be no question of talks with the Akalis so long as they do not publicly dissociate themselves from extremists and terrorists and surrender criminals sheltering in the Golden Temple complex and other gurudwaras.
In this context it may not be out of place to refer to Mr. Charan Singh’s appeal to Hindus in Punjab to be prepared for self-defence. It is possible that the Lok Dal leader has been influenced by electoral considerations, perhaps he too takes the view that Mrs. Gandhi is about to spring a poll on the country. It can also be argued that his statement is likely to add to the panic among Hindus in the state. But it will be sheer naivete or worse, dishonesty, to ignore the reality on the ground in Punjab. Hindus there are feeling insecure. Apparently, the Union government is sensitive to this problem. This may in fact be the main reason why it has dismissed the state ministry and taken over the administration in Punjab. By and large, opposition parties have shown an appreciation of the factors that have led the government to act the way it has. But that is not enough. They must speak out. A grave threat stares us in the face. The architects of the mischief are known. They must not be allowed to confuse issues, the central one right now being restoration of law and order so that the people in Punjab can live in peace and an atmosphere conducive to meaningful discussions be created. The government has an obligation to act with firmness and determination but it needs support which opposition parties should have the honesty and courage to provide.